Billy Bragg releases Palestine support song in aid of Greta Thunberg’s Fredom Flotilla
Billy Bragg has released a new protest song in aid of Palestine, and to support the new Freedom Flotilla humanitarian aid ship which has set sail from Barcelona, featuring Greta Thunberg.
The song, called ‘Hundred Year Hunger’, comes after the United Nations recently declared famine for the first time in Gaza, and will subsequently raise money for the Amos Trust’s Gaza Appeal.
Writing about the impact of ‘Hundred Year Hunger’ on Instagram, Bragg said it “looks at the current famine that Israel has created in Gaza through the lens of a century of enforced food insecurity and malnutrition imposed on the Palestinian people, firstly by British imperialism, then as a weapon of mass displacement by the state of Israel”.
The chorus of the song is sung entirely in Arabic, with Bragg explaining that phrases such as “sumud” translate into English as “steadfastness or perseverance.” He added, “It is used by Palestinians to describe their nonviolent everyday resistance against Israel’s occupation. Sumud emphasises the commitment of the Palestinian people to remain on their land despite hardship and oppression, elevating their everyday existence into a form of resistance.”
Coinciding with this, the new voyage of the Freedom Flotilla has just set sail from Barcelona, of which activist Thunberg is one of the most prominent figures on board. Their fresh mission, which is set to reach Palestinian shores by mid-September, comes after two previous attempts to reach the country which were blocked by the Israeli government.
Much like the spirit of Bragg’s song, the humanitarian mission aims to open a corridor and deliver food and vital aid to those being most acutely affected by the famine in Gaza.
Bragg has been a prominent supporter of Palestine for many years, most notably in the fact he is set to stage a benefit concert called Days Like These at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London on September 20th, also in aid of the Amos Trust. He will be joined by the likes of Jamie Webster, Reverend and the Makers, and Big Special.
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